"SwitchPup" is intended to be a series of pups which include the "radar" (or alternatively the "navbar") scripts written by SFR. These are just my own versions based on my own experimentation. They are not "official releases" in any way, but I hope you find them useful.

**** Please check all of the first 3 posts for different SwitchPup styles****

They allow a user to control all functions by using only a single switch (eg a chin operated switch etc), and this switch is currently required to be connected onto the Pause/Break key on the keyboard as requested by forum member standard7452 here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=84617 (also there are other good alternative suggestions being discussed there and there will no doubt be better-constructed isos than mine )
Tutorial discussing possible keyboard mods to attach external switches here:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=711282#711282

these Radar_firstrun puppies are configured to allow Radar to start earlier during the boot process so that the disabled user can interact with the firstrun setup screen to choose different keyboard or language etc. It also includes SFR's Keyhunter script which automatically sets up the correct "event" and "keycode" number for the keyswitch that is being used. This means that the system can be used without having to be set up manually by someone else first and means that it is easy to use a simple pluggable usb version of the keyboard mod if trialling switchpup on a variety of systems.

I prefer to make these isos "RAM only" versions so that you can test them safely without them grabbing any pre-existing savefiles. You can create a savefile at shutdown time if you wish to install permanently.

This version uses SFR's radar1b, which includes the gui for changing radar parameters if required. I have positioned radar to allow a clear space for vertical scrollbars, and xfce window controls keep the windows in useful places.

It starts up with leafpad open so the user can start typing a message immediately, and if desired the user can use the radar menu to select xvkbd mode to "scan" across the xvkbd keyboard for faster typing.

The Opera font pet is in /root (just doubleclick it) for users who want to improve the readability of the inbuilt Opera. (which comes set up with flashblock and also works ok with youtube)

Radar gui is in /usr/local/apps/radar1bmod (look for radar-config). If you want to use the zoom slider at the bottom right of opera it is worth using the radar gui to move the radar screen to bottom centre so it doesn't overlap the zoomer.

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Original version:
April 5 2013SwitchPup_radar0.8
My first version is based on RacyNOP532 and includes radar 0.8
It has basic functionality and is aimed at being a "sampler" so that end users can easily get to grips with the way a "one-switch" pup operates. It will not be everyones cup of tea as it uses XFCE and has had major browsers and word processing stripped out of it - allowing the user to select their preferred versions from elsewhere.

It does have Opera - but I have not yet added the font improvements that will enhance readability. I would recommend SeaMonkey.

I have used an early version of SFR's Navbar to make a simple communicator which can be used as a live CD or for install. It is configured to start with Leafpad open so the user can begin typing immediately and the text appears in leafpad. (I decided to configure Navbar for visual simplicity using the "4-arrow" system and a slower "roll speed". Also, leafpad is configured with wordwrap on, so as long as there are spaces between words it will not be necessary to be using the horizontal scroll bar to view the whole text)

Users can still add their preferred word processor, browse the internet or use other programs as needed.

I will be adding other versions incorporating the broader functionality found in newer Navbar versions, but will be away from my PC for about a month.

I have also included an "Opera font improvement" pet which some users may want to install to improve the usability of Opera (This pet can be found stored in /root - just doubleclick the font pet file and wait for it to self-install and update it's help file). Opera font thread here:http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=478051#478051

SwitchPupNavbarCommunicatorBasic1.jpg

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Last edited by greengeek on Thu 11 Apr 2013, 15:25; edited 6 times in total

I have made an "Autostart" version based on Precise 5.6.1 with the intention of making it possible for the disabled user to get started without waiting for someone else to do the configuration. In the simplest case, just place the CD in the drive, boot the PC and wait for the desktop. The "firstrun" wizard completes by itself and leaves the desktop ready for use.

It can be run from a LiveCD or installed as a frugal and run without a savefile.

This is set up to ignore any savefiles at boot time - which has the advantage of better safety during trials, as well as some disadvantages like inability to add new bookmarks etc(although it includes a small list of useful ones...) but I am hoping this 'Live boot straight to desktop' proves useful because of the simplicity of booting a PC without having to tinker with configuration screens. (Actually you don't even have to be disabled to derive benefit from that feature. I'm hoping to finetune this to be a good general purpose Live pup for other users too...)

- fixed problem with second boot failing start of X server due to pupdesk.flg incorrectly set.
- moved screenlock icon.
- flsynclient modified to turn off tap-to-click
- Added a couple of Oneswitch links to bookmarks

This version now contains the "keyhunter" function from SFR - which means that you can use the internal keyboard, external keyboard or a hotpluggable oneswitch interface plugged into any usb port and keyhunter will identify the "event number" and "keycode" straight after booting. No external help is necessary. Very quick to get functional with this release.

On my system (hooked up via network cable to a normal ADSL router) the internet connection is immediately available without any configuration requirements, so that should be the case for most other people as well I expect. Just click on the browse icon and you are online. Obviously wireless connection would require use of the internet connection wizard.

I recommend users click on desktop 1 for activities requiring the keyboard, and desktops 2 and 3 for mounting/unmounting, file manipulation and other activities (especially when using smaller screen resolutions)

The inbuilt "quicksetup" routines during the boot process seem to do a very good job of selecting resolutions (at least on my machines...)

I am keen to receive any feedback regarding which machines this works well on (it is mostly targeted at PCs around 5-10 years old...) and would also like to know what features users would like added in (preferred bookmarks, window positions etc etc). It seems to work reasonably well but there is a lot of further finetuning to do...

(Thanks SFR for the scripting help, ETP for MagooPupV6 which I use for remastering and initrd.gz editing, and Mikeslr for ongoing ideas)

You are not authorised to access the web page at http://199.91.153.250/tr8g5zaxaamg/q0ulcvsd08xdnxj/SwitchPup_RacyNOP532_Radar0.8_Basic.iso. You may need to sign in.
HTTP Error 403 (Forbidden): The server refused to fulfill the request.

I have tried clearing browser cache and alternative browser too, will keep trying

Thankyou. Much appreciated.
I have also been trying to remaster THINSlacko2012 with radar and xvkbd, but not quite there yet. I keep getting "sfs not found" error during boot. I am wondering if it might be that I am using mksquashfs with only default parameters and maybe I'm getting incorrect block sizes or compression or something. Will come back to it and try again soon after a bit more research.

I have a friend who has limited upper body strength. He can't sit up to use a keyboard but can use a game controller. Could this pup be adapted to work with a game controller. Also, is there a program for zooming in to the part of the screen? the best I've seen is a hack using xrandr modes.

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